


Pumpkin Spice

by windandthestars



Series: Lullabies and Bed Time Stories [2]
Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Single Parents, cop will, single mom helen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-26
Updated: 2012-06-26
Packaged: 2017-11-08 14:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/444031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windandthestars/pseuds/windandthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you still work closing?" he pauses suddenly realizing he doesn't know her name and extends his hand.  "I'm Will by the way.  You used to be in here when I got off work late."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pumpkin Spice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cerie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerie/gifts).



> AU: Will's a cop, Helen works at a coffeeshop. They're both single parents.

He takes Maddie out for breakfast every Saturday morning. He has Friday nights off so Jo can have a life, so he doesn't mind dragging himself out of bed early for what happens to be Maddie's favorite weekly event. They're always here early in the way that only people with small children could be. They miss the early morning rush of cops and doctors grabbing a coffee after work and leave before the rest of the world has woken.

It's peaceful here, tucked into the corner of their favorite couch with a deck of cards or a book from the stack upstairs. They share a muffin or a pastry and Will has his coffee watching Maddie watch the way the world works. He likes it here, despite the neighborhood. It reminds him of the kind of place he grew up in, a place where everyone's a bit down and out, but honest, hardworking. As hard as he works to give Maddie the best of everything, he wants her to see this too, to know this world. Growing up had been hard for him, but in a lot of ways he's thankful for that. He's not about to let Maddie turn into some spoiled brat.

She's fussy today, her half of the muffin crumbled over the top of a coffee table, a chair, and the book she had chosen had been thrown to the floor. She's settled down momentarily, legs swinging off the side of her chair, black mary janes thumping against the wooden legs in agitation as Will takes the opportunity to gulp down his coffee. He's going to need all the extra fuel he can get if he's going to weather the time between now and whenever he can coax her into eating lunch.

He offers to take her to the park, figuring she could use the time to burn off this pent up energy and work up an appetite. It's a bit cold this time of year but he'd brought her an extra sweater and a pair of gloves just in case. Her resounding 'NO' sounds more like a shriek and Will lets the idea fall dead. It's not like Maddie to make a scene but he's not about to tempt fate.

"No park," she repeats more quietly a moment later and he nods.

"Where would you like to go?"

Maddie bangs on the table between them suddenly furious and Will sighs, startling when he hears someone laugh beside him.

"Sorry," 

Will turns and smiles at the woman who's standing back watching the two of them. She's the only other person here, the cashier who had chuckled knowingly at the way Maddie had pressed her face against the glass to examine the pastries. He's seen her around a couple of times, dark hair always held in a tidy knot just above the nape of her neck. She's been here a couple of times since he'd started bringing Maddie for breakfast a year and a half ago but he mostly remembers her from the time before that when he’d still been with the FBI. 

"I didn't intend to startle you." Her voice lilts with a faint accent, British he thinks from the sound of it. He wonders how he'd missed that before, missed the poise with which she holds herself even as she waits uncertain. "I saw you had your hands full and thought this might help."

She holds out a paper cup and Will nods watching as she moves to kneel beside Maddie. Maddie for all her previous fussing seems content now, curious as she reaches out for the cup until her hand stops in mid air, frozen. For a moment Will thinks she's going to dash it from the woman's hand but instead she giggles as her fingers make contact with the cup's contents.

"Squishy." 

The woman laughs and Maddie grins, reaching with her other hand to grab the cup. "I brought you a spoon." The woman continues as she pulls a small, almost toddler sized spoon from the front pocket of her black apron and Maddie's face lights up. "There you go, darling. Put the cup on the table."

Maddie complies eagerly and the woman steps back smiling at Will. "I have two of my own." She explains. "Three and eleven."

"So you've already made it through the terrible twos."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Henry was a dear, but Ashley's a bit of a terror I'm afraid. This one here seems quite sweet on you."

"She's my number one girl, huh Maddie?" Will can't help but beam as Maddie nods licking carefully at the back of her spoon. "Not to lessen your magic mom powers, but what excatly-?" Will gestures toward the cup of orange mush.

"Pumpkin pie filling. I noticed last time I saw you here she kept trying to drink your latte. Perhaps not the best breakfast but I don't think she'll be wanting any of that muffin."

"I'd forgotten about that. When was that, October?" He shakes his head.

"September, right before school started." The woman tips her chin down with a soft smile, an unexpected sign of modesty Will finds unexpectedly endearing. "I have a soft spot for the little ones." She confesses. "They make the longer days bearable."

"Do you still work closing?" he pauses suddenly realizing he doesn't know her name and extends his hand. "I'm Will by the way. You used to be in here when I got off work late."

"Helen." She takes his hand easily in a well-practiced gesture, another quirk that surprises him. "I mostly work days now that Ashley's in preschool. The tips aren't as good, but the quiet is nice."

"That's what I like about nights." He finds himself volunteering. He's usually guarded about his work, shying away from questions because there was only so much he could say. He didn’t deal with much classified information now that he was shuffling papers at OCPD but discretion still went a long way and he hadn't bothered to make the switch. He finds though, that he wants to tell her. They've hardly been talking five minutes, yet he feels as if he knows her. It's crazy but he's not about to question it; he can over think this later.

"You're some sort of analyst right? You were always talking with Jason." When Will doesn't seem to register the name she clarifies. "I believe he called himself the coffee boy."

"Boy, right" Will laughs recalling the tall redheaded man, Wilcox, who had been the office's glorified newbie slash coffee bitch as he had called himself, for the better part of a year.

"Cop, now, actually. Nothing heroic." He assures her before she can say anything. "I don't even get a uniform."

"That might be for the best." There's a bit of knowing smirk there. "They say women go crazy over single dads I can't imagine what would happen if you threw a uniform into the mix."

"We'd have a national emergency on our hands." He replies, relieved at how easily the banter comes despite his lack of recent practice.

Helen hums and then seems to hesitate. "That would be a shame."

Will's about to ask her to be more specific, tease her about her super mom routine having competition, when the front door jingles and Helen sighs, reaching to brush a hand over Maddie's russet colored hair before glancing back at her newest customers: two kids in their mid-twenties, premed if Will was in the mood to guess. "I should-" 

She tilts her head toward the door and he nods. "Yeah, of course. I'll uh- see you around and thanks for the pumpkin. You're a life saver."

Helen smiles, more guarded now. "Have a good day you two."

By the time Maddie's finished her pumpkin and scrapped the cup with her fingers despite Will's halfhearted protests, there's a line at the counter. He had hoped to be able to talk with Helen or at least thank her again, but with Maddie animate about wanting to go to the park _right now_ , the wait to reach the register is impracticably long. He does linger by the door though, Maddie pulling tabs off the ads for housekeeping services and roommate searches, until he can sneak in a wave. It's impossibly sappy but there's no way to deny the way his stomach fluttered when Helen smiles, raising her hand in reply.


End file.
